Whatever one might think of this practice, there’s no denying Tim Friede has bravely endured 202 deliberate snakebites over nearly two decades. His extraordinary encounters are continuing to bear fruit as they’re being used, in part, to create a new antivenom. His adventure is a testament to his commitment to the immunization initiative against some of the world’s most poisonous serpents. It highlights the urgent need for effective and more widely available antivenoms. Venomous snakebites claim nearly 140,000 deaths annually globally.
Annually, venomous snakebites kill or seriously injure as many as 140,000 people globally. Yet researchers have positively documented more than 600 species of these venomous snakes. Snake venom is a complicated cocktail, made up of at least ten main toxin families. This complexity poses tremendous difficulties for scientists seeking to discover new and better treatments. Friede’s self immunization odyssey has made us reconsider how we think about this problem. It illustrates the tremendous need as well as opportunity for new, innovative solutions in the world of antivenoms.
For almost two decades, Friede deeply engaged in a personal odyssey of “self-immunization.” He semi-voluntarily allowed different species of venomous snakes to bite him, and over time injected himself with increasing doses of snake venom. It was this systematic approach that allowed him to develop immunity to over a dozen species. During that time, he was administered 654 snake venom immunizations.
Jacob Glanville and his team were very impressed by Friede’s level of experience. They wanted to leverage her antivenin-gathering superhero powers to help develop a new, more powerful antivenom cocktail. This innovative study led to the development of a dual action formulation that uniformly targets toxins from several species of venomous snakes.
The cocktail of antivenoms, made from a tiny sample of Friede’s blood, showed extraordinarily strong results in preclinical trials. Friede’s antibodies, used in tandem with a toxin-blocking drug known as varespladib, offered full protection to mice. Together, this pair of antibodies proved effective at countering otherwise lethal doses of venom from 13 different species of snakes. Moreover, this mixture provided at least some protection against another six species.
Though the news from the antivenom research front may seem promising, both Friede and Glanville stress the dangers of self-immunization.
“It always burns and it’s always, always painful,” – Tim Friede
This first-hand experience highlights the discomfort and risk involved in purposefully exposing oneself to venomous snakes. Glanville cautions others against attempting similar practices.
“We are actively discouraging anybody from trying it,” – Jacob Glanville
Friede and Glanville’s collaboration is based on more than their personal passions and experiences. They are currently courting partnerships with veterinary groups in Australia—stay tuned. Their goal is to develop the best possible treatment for dogs with snakebites. This newly completed research promises to do good by humans and animals, equally.
Though Tim Friede formally retired from snakebites and self-administered injections in 2018, it’s his work in antivenom production that continues to echo through the scientific community today. Jacob Glanville, who is developing a universal flu vaccine. He’s working on a universal antivenom that would provide broad-spectrum protection against thousands of dangerous species.
Friede’s distinctive approach represents a beacon of hope. For two awesome reasons – one, it would lead to better treatments for snakebite victims across the planet, and two …
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